Open house set for ½-cent sales tax to improve county roads

An open house on Pinal County’s Regional Transportation Authority is set for Maricopa City Hall on May 2. The open house will show participants what roads are slated to be built with the RTA funding, if approved by Pinal County voters this fall.

The event is an addition to other open houses planned by Central Arizona Governments (CAG) and Pinal County to get public feedback. County officials have been working for months to get the RTA on a ballot. It is now set for a November election.

The Pinal RTA would seek a half-cent sales tax to improve transportation options for drivers in Pinal County.

The proposed plan focuses on roadway development, public transportation improvements, and local transportation project funding for the towns of Kearny, Mammoth and Superior, and the city of Eloy. Some of the proposed roadway improvements include widening State Route 347 north of the city of Maricopa to the Pinal-Maricopa County boundary, constructing the North-South Corridor that would ultimately connect U.S. 60 with Interstate 10, and extending State Route 24 into Pinal County.

Projections over 20 years predict the RTA could bring in $650 million in revenue targeted directly for Pinal County roads.

The open house in Maricopa is from 4 to 6 p.m. in the lobby at City Hall, 39700 W. Civic Center Plaza.

Those unable to attend can review information on the proposed regional plan and tax at CAG’s website at: http://www.cagaz.org/rta.html. To participate in the on-line survey regarding the proposed regional plan and tax, you may visit Pinal County’s website.